Imaginary
by Love's to blame
Summary: The desperation in his voice lets her know that this is not just a silly scheme to get her back - Blair is willing to do anything, give anything to fix Chuck.
1. Chapter 1

** Author's note: This story is slightly AU and takes place during/ after season five. Its just an idea that I had rolling around in my head since I worry about the baby chuck who had to grow up, all alone in a hotel with Bart. I think he probably would have had some imaginary friends and *spoiler alert* this is when he takes it too far **

Musical laughter rings in his ear.

The dark prince wakes from his slumber. "Shut up" Charles Bass, or Chuck as he is often referred to as, mumbles. He doesn't open his eyes, preferring to remain in his drowsy state.

"Wake up Charlie," the voice of a young girl whispers.

Chuck clenches his eyes shut , his hand fumbling for the sheets, attempting to pull them over his head.

"She's not real," he says. His words lack conviction. Even as he tries to tell himself that she is nothing more than a figment of his imagination, Chuck still longs for her to put her dainty hand on his arm. He wants to feel her warm touch, to breathe in that familiar honey smell and more than anything he wants to open his eyes and see the face he has long forgotten.

She was once a part of him, his other half, his twin sister. And yet, he can no longer remember what she looks like. There are times, like now, that he is unable to fathom that tragedy.

Perhaps this is why he is so fond of expensive scotch. Only when he drinks himself into an oblivion, is he able to recollect a few hazy memories. However, by the time he's sober they're nothing more than unrecognizable blurs

"Chuckie" the girl whines.

He could never resist her when she called him that. Chuck slowly blinked, his eyes adjusting to the flood of light that was pouring into his room. As usual, it was empty.

He was alone, just as he has always been since he was fifteen years old. However, that doesn't stop him from calling out her name. "Savannah?" Chuck whispers. He is answered by complete silence.

Like a child playing a game of hide-and-seek he gets up. Chuck inspects the usually hiding places- under the bed, behind a dresser, his closet and the bathroom. It deoesn't matter where he looks. He could search the entire world and still, he will never find her.

"Where are you savvy?" He mutters. He has been asking this question almost every day for the last seven years. Not once has he ever recieved an answer.


	2. Chapter 2

__**Author's Note: I'm not used to writing in present tense but I wanted to try something new, I hope it doesn't sound awkward.**__

Chuck locks himself inside of his room with a bottle of Scotch and a box full of his deceased father's secrets. He searches through old documents, that may have been important at some point in time, not really reading them but rather looking for anything that seemed to be out of place.

During his quest, he knocks back shot after shot of liquor, slowly developing a slight buzz. After an hour of going through Bart's belongings countless time, he gives up. The picture he desperately wanted to find just wasn't there. He throws the box across the room then leans back on the bed and closes his eyes. Chuck tries his best to remember the first time he ever saw her.

In his earliest memory, she's singing.

_Chuck isn't sure of his age but since he vaguely remembers whining about going to the park after lunch, he supposes that he couldn't be no more than eight years old. He was inside of his father's home office, sitting in the leather chair that he was never supposed to touch, while his small ineffectual hands fumbled with important documents that adorned his father's red oak desk. If Bart were to walk in on his young son, he probably wouldn't hesitant to give Charles a few good slaps for breaking at least five of his many rules. Luckily for the boy, Bart will be at work for the next eight hours. _

_For a great percentage of his young life, Chuck has been left in the care of various nannies. His current one is fresh out of college and has little experience with children. However, her cute face and firm ass more than makes up for what she lacks. Susan, Sarah, or whatever her name was always too busy, getting fucked by Chuck's Uncle Jack, to even notice the little boy or even take the time to make sure he actually knew her name._

_ He was often alone except for Savannah but on that day it was possible that she didn't count. It isn't as though he actually wanted her there._

_Usually Savvy is fun to play with but today she won't shut up. She's singing a Garth Brook's song titled "Friends in Low Places." Her voice is off key and she knows less than half of the words. To Chuck's delicate ears, this is the equivalent of nails being dragged against a chalkboard._

_ Chuck knows that if he tells his sister to quiet down, she'll just sing louder so he just nods his head along to the beat and pretends as though it doesn't bother him. At least that was what he was attempting to do up until the part where she sung about not belonging._

_His annoyance finally got the best of him and Chuck snaps. He isn't sure if its because he has never found a place where he belonged (and although he's young, he is almost certain that such a place doesn't exist) or if its because those words, coming out of Savannah's mouth, sound like a lie. All her life, she has been the shining star of the Bass family, there isn't a place on earth that she can't fit in._

_ "Shut up" Chuck demands. He is surprised by how much impatience he has managed to fit inside two small words._

_Savannah looks up from her position on the floor, just beneath her brother's feet. She raises a brow, her face full of irratation. "Why?"_

_Chuck sighs, struggling to come up with a reply. "Because I said so" he pauses before adding. "And I'm Chuck bass"_

_Savannah lets out a snort before rolling her eyes "yeah, well I'm Savvy Bass and I don't have to do what you say"_

_ Chuck turns away and scowls. She has always been able to do that- make him feel inferior and unimportant, just as she has always been able to make him feel the complete opposite. He waits for the singing to continue, however it never does. When he looks back down, Savannah is gone and in her place is an open drawer. He peers inside, seeing nothing interesting. Just a faded, worn-out envelope with the edge of an old photograph peeking out. He reaches inside and takes it out. Upon closer inspection, Chuck discovers that it was not one but two pictures._

_The first is of Savannah. Although the picture is crinkled with age, it had to have been taken recently, she still looks the same. Large brown eyes peek out from under her bangs, her auburn hair is a disarray of messy curls and she could break even the coldest heart with that missing tooth smile and deep dimples. _

_Chuck stares longingly at the picture, not the least bit surprised that Bart had it tucked away. His father often wanted Savannah all to himself, hidden from Chuck and the rest of the world. It was almost as though he were afraid that she would be taken from him so he had to keep her close at all times. _

_Out of jealousy, Chuck goes on to the next picture. He would be able to recognize that familiar brunette anywhere, she was his mother. He had never met her, she died the day he was born, but that didn't mean Chuck didn't love her. _

_"She was beautiful" Savannah whispers, appearing out of thin air. _

_Chuck doesn't turn towards her, preferring to stare at the woman who had given him life. He desperately tries to make a connection. He had lived inside of her for nine months, she probably spoke to him and once he had known what it was like to hear her heart beat. But then he had to go and ruin her, his life began once his mother's came to an end._

_ "I will never understand why he keeps her pictures lying around the house." Chuck says with a small smile tugging at his lips "Does he enjoy being reminded of his pain?" _

_ "Of course you wouldn't get it" Savannah tells him. "You're a boy" _

_ The way she states his gender, makes it sound as though it's an insult. "What is that supposed to mean?" Chuck growls. _

_ "Nothing really, you just don't know a thing about romance or hopeless lovers" _

_ "And you do?" Chuck questions. He doubts that Savannah knows any more than he does. _

_ She doesnt answer him, instead changes the subject by saying, "You look like her" _

_ Chuck shakes his head. "No" he mumbles, so ashamed of himself that he couldn't accept this truth. "You do" _

_Savannah sighs. "Same thing"_

_Chuck ignores her. He leans back in his father's chair, closes his eyes and tries to sort out his thoughts. If Savvy was his twin, why was he the only one responsibe for his mother's death?_

When Chuck finally emerges from his lair, its late afternoon and Nate is sitting on the couch.

Manhattan's resident golden boy isn't wearing his usual attire of perfectly tailored business suits. Instead, he resembles his old sloppy self, lounging around the house in old, faded jeans and a wrinkled, slightly stained t-shirt. In his hand is a game controller but there isn't anything playing on the screen. He must have heard Chuck walking around and turned it off.

"No work today, Nathaniel?" Chuck questions as he struts towards the kitchen. He listens for his friend's reply as he pours himself a cup of coffee.

"I decided to give myself the day off" Nate calls out.

Chuck nods even though Nate can't see him. He pours milk and sugar into his cup, sweetening the bitter brew until it was perfection. When he re-enters the living room, Nate is staring at him expectantly.

Chuck raises a brow. "What?" He asks. He takes a sip of his coffee. "Am I supposed to congratulate you for being lazy?"

Nate shakes his head. "No." A small smirk appears on his face. "New girl?" He questions.

Chuck's face scrunches into a look of confusion. "What the hell are you talking about?" He asks, taking a seat in his favorite arm chair.

"Savannah?" Nate said slowly. "I heard you mumbling her name all morning. I'm glad you're finally over Blair, I was starting to get worried"

Chuck looks down and raises a hand to his head, rubbing the wrinkles out of his forehead. "Oh"

"So who is she?" Nate leans forward, like a girl trying to hear the latest gossip. All he needed to do to complete the look was rest his head on his hands.

Chuck rolls his eyes. "It's not like that Nathaniel." Exhaustion can be heard in his voice.

"Usually when someone talks about a girl in their sleep it means they have feelings for her" Nate drawls, sounding a bit condescending.

Chuck knows that he should just keep his mouth shut but he just wants this topic to be dead and buried so he says the one thing that he knows will shut Nate up. "She was my sister"

Nate is silent for a few minutes. He blinks then chuckles. "Nice try"

Chuck shrugs and takes a sip of his coffee.

Nate continues on. "We've known each other our whole lives. I would know if you had a sister, which you don't"

"I had one" Chuck corrects. "You just never met her because Bart sent her away"

By the way Nate is staring at him, Chuck knows that his friend doesn't believe a word he's saying. He quickly stands up and walks back to his room. As he's closing the door, he swears that he can hear Nate making a phone call. He doesnt question who's on the recieving end, there's only one person who really matters and she should be appearing soon.

He takes a quick shower, changing out of his silk pajamas. As the hot stream of water pours down on his lean, not-quite-muscular body, Chuck remains attentive, listening for anything out of the ordinary. He doesn't hear much, just the elevator bell chiming and what sounds like Nate, leaving the penthouse.

Twenty minutes later Chuck steps out of his bathroom. At the same time, a young woman emerges from his closet. She's much older than he remembers, at least three inches taller than him, and her hair is not only straightened but also dyed a bright red at the tips. She would look out of place at even the most casual upper east side function.

"Savvy?" Chuck questions, making sure that it's really her.

She gives him a small, tight-lipped smile. Its obvious that she doesn't smile often. Chuck momentarily wonders what happened to the happy playmate he grew up with.

"That would be me" she whispers, walking over to the bed and lying down. She stretches out her limbs, making herself comfortable. She's wearing a light purple tanktop and tight jeans that hug her thin hips. She may be his sister, but Chuck still finds her attractive.

Small beads of water roll down his chest. For the first time, he's painfully aware of how under dressed he is. He reaches down and tightly clenches his towel in his hand. "I'm going to get dressed" Chuck tells her. "Cover your eyes and don't peek"

Savannah smirks. "Used to be that I was the one telling you that"

Chuck rolls his eyes. "Just do it!"

Savannah lets out an exasperated sigh but she puts a hand over her eyes anyway. "Hurry up" she demands.

Chuck hurries over to his dresser. He grabs the first pair of boxers he sees and puts them on. He then looks over his shoulder to check on the girl. As he suspected, she was looking straight at him.

He should have been embarrassed. However, as taboo as it was, he's more than just a little flattered. "I knew you couldn't resist" he jokes.

Savannah shrugs. "You're different" she mutters.

"How?"

"I don't know" she stares at him from under her long lashes. "But I like it"

Chuck walks over to her, his knees dropping onto the mattress. He crawls up to where her head is resting on a feather pillow. For a few seconds, he hovers over her then slowly he leans down to plant a soft kiss on her forehead. "I missed you" he whispers.

Savannah traces his lips with her hand. "Who is she?" She asks randomly.

Chuck moves away to lie beside her. "Who is who?"

"The girl who stole your heart away from me"

Chuck considers lying but quickly decides against it. When it comes to Savannah, the truth automatically spills out of his mouth. "Her name is Blair"

"Is she pretty?"

Chuck nods. "She's beautiful. And smart," he pauses. "Also very cunning and manipulative"

Savannah pouts. "I didn't ask for a full description"

Chuck quicky turns to her. "I'm sorry." He grabs her hand. "Please don't go away again." He whispers, its quite a feat but he manages to sound nonchalant.

"It doesn't matter if I want to go or not," Savannah says. "Its your decision, it always has been"

"But-" Chuck begins to protest. He wants to tell her that if it was her decision, she would still be around. He never wanted her to leave, or at least he doesn't remember wanting to. However, before he can say more than one word, her hand is covering his mouth.

"Shush" she whispers. "We don't have much time"

There's a knock on his door. Chuck sits up, trying to remember if he heard the elevator. "Who is it?" He asked.

After a long moment of silence, he hears a familiar voice mutter, "Blair"

"What do you want?" He questions, his word are harsher than he intended them to be.

"Your stupid girlfriend demanded that I come over here and knock some sense into you"

Chuck scrunches up his brows. "I don't have a girlfriend"

Blair sighed from behind the door. "I was talking about Nate"

"Oh"

"I'm coming in"

The door knob begins to jiggle. "Wait!" Chuck calls out. He turns to Savvy but she's no longer there. "Nevermind"


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's note 1: If there are any errors, I apologize. I'm rushing to post this and I don't have enough battery to edit.**

The door slowly opens.

Chuck carefully watches Blair as she enters his dimly lit bedroom. Part of him hopes that she will take a seat on the bed, next to him. They haven't been close, physically or emotionally, in so long that he's almost desperate to have her within his reach. Blair, however, makes the smart decision to stay back. She stands a few feet away from the door, her back pressing against his dresser. She seems tense, as though she's prepared to bolt from the room at a moment's notice.

There's a long period of silence, the two ex-lovers simply stare at each other, neither one of them wanting to break the ice. Chuck is the first to give on, fearing that he will suffocate on his unspoken words if he doesn't take the initiative.

"I thought you never wanted to see me again" he says, sounding rough and defessive. He clears his throat, trying to rid his voice of any emotion.

Blair lowers her gaze for half a second. "I never said that" she replies softly.

"You didn't have to," Chuck tells her. "It was obvious"

Blair doesn't say anything. From the look on her face, Chuck can tell that she's annoyed with his answer but there must be a little truth to his words since she doesn't object his claims.

"What are you even doing here?" He asks.

"I was worried about you." She takes a step towards him. She barely moves from her previous spot but she's starting to relax.

Chuck is careful to not get his hopes up. The two of them had been friends for as long as he could remember. That alone gave her the right to worry about him. It didn't have to be because of any hidden feelings.

"Why?"

"Nate seems to think that you're losing your mind" she holds her head up, her chin pointing out. She's a woman on a mission, determined to get Chuck's problems sorted out so that she may return to her own once-shared but now currently seperate life.

"Nate needs to learn how to keep his damn mouth shut Chuck snaps, unsure who he's actually upset with- his best friend, or his possible soul mate.

Blair rolls her eyes and lets out an exhausted sigh. Chuck smiles a little, finding her annoyance to be slightly endearing.

"Chuck" she says in that warning tone of hers.

"Blair" he mimicks her tone. "I'm not crazy"

"Then why do you suddenly believe that you have this sister that no one has ever heard about before today" she crosses her arms, thinking that she finally has him trapped. "This is all just some stupid ploy to get me back isn't it? God, you've really sunk low if you think this is going to work"

This time it's Chuck who rolls his eyes. "No one asked you to come." He points to the door. "You're free to leave"

Blair blinks, obviously confused. "So you don't want me to stay?" She questions.

Chuck shakes his head. "No, not if you're going to mock me"

"I'm not mo-"

He quicky cuts her off. "Just because you didn't know Savvy, doesn't mean she didn't exist" He clenches his eyes shut and drapes a hand across his forehead. He's no longer trying to convince Blair but rather himself.

Blair detects a hint of desperation in his tone, it removes all doubt from her mind. Something may actually be wrong with Chuck. Perhaps Nate is right, Manhattan's lonely playboy just might be losing his mind. "Chuck" Blair whispers softly, trying to recapture his attention.

"According to your logic," Chuck whispers, still refusing to escape the darkness behind his closed eyelids. "Most of the people in the world don't exist since you've never come in contact with them"

Blair walks over to him, taking a seat near his feet, at the bottom of the bed. "Why haven't you mentioned her before today?" She's no longer accusing him of lying, she's simply curious.

"Because I didn't want to talk about it" Chuck grumbles, his mouth contorting onto a frown.

"And today you suddenly want to"

"No," he says, a little too quickly. "Nate brought it up. I was just answering his question." Chuck sighed. "I wish the two of you would stop blowing this out of proportion"

"Okay" Blair said slowly, carefully planning her next words. "I'll never bring her up again if you just answer me this one question- why isn't she here now?"

Chuck doesn't answer her at first. In fact, a full minute goes by before he speaks. "She's dead"

"What?" As hard as she tries, Blair can't hide the disbelief in her voice.

"She was sick for a long time then, when we were fifteen, she passed away" Chuck says this as though its the most logical thing in the world

"Then why is Nate under the impression that Bart sent her away?"

Chuck blinks, struggling to focus on Blair's face. "Did I tell him that."

She slowly nods. "Yes"

Looking down at his duvet, Chuck softly mutters "oh"

_"Chuck" Savannah whispers. She pulls back his blankets and crawls into the bed next to him. _

_His eyes are closed but young Charles Bass isn't asleep. How could he possibly get any rest when loud moans and soft grunts are escaping his father's room, just down the hall. "What?" He asks his sister, moving over so there's more room for her._

_Eventhough Savannah now has half of the bed, she still curls against Chuck's side. "What do you think they're doing?" _

_Chuck rubs his brows. Almost every night his father brought home different, random women but the same sounds were always produced. The twins has an idea of what happened behind those. Posed doors but it was still just a mystery. "**It" **he mutters, still too young to know the exact term. _

_Savannah scowls. "That's disgusting" _

_He shrugs. "I don't know, Bart seems to enjoy it" _

_She narrows her eyes, giving her brother a glare thar should seem intimidating yet on her face it looks rather comical. "You mean, you think you would enjoy it" _

_Chuck shakes his head. "No" he drawls, dragging the word out. _

_Savannah nods. "Yes, you would do it with that little dark haired girl if she would let you" _

_"Blair?" _

_"See!" Savannah exclaims, pointing an accusing finger. "You even know her name" _

_"Only because she follows Nate around like some kind of stalker" Chuck lies. He doesn't want to let Savvy know that he just might have a crush on Blair. He would never hear the end of it. If she ever found out that he purposely chose the desk next to Blair's or that it isn't an accident when his hand brushes against the petite brunette's backside, Savvy would probably whine, for days, about how Chuck was growing up without her and soon he wouldn't need her anymore. He instinctivly put an arm around Savvy, pulling her closer. He would always need his partner in crime. He didn't think he would able to survive in that miserable penthouse without her. _

_"Then promise me you'll never do it" _

_"I promise" chuck mumbles even though this is one promise he knows he won't be able to keep._

**Author's Note 2: like this story? Want me to update sooner? Well then leave a review.**


	4. Chapter 4

Chuck's therapist was an older man, possibly the same age as Bart. Apparently this was beneficial to his therapy since he often thought of the good doctor as his father figure. Lord knows he needed one since his own had failed miserably in that department.

"Charles" Dr. Reed Boris drawls in an attempt to capture his patient's attention. An hour ago he received a call requesting an emergency session. Dr. Boris rarely met such such difficult demands but in hopes of making a breakthrough with Chuck, he rearranged a few clients. Now all he had to do was find a way to get the young billionaire to talk. He thought that would have been easy yet for the last twenty minutes, Chuck refused to say a word; he searched the office looking for a distraction and avoiding the disapproving gaze of the brunette woman who came with him.

Chuck stopped pretending as though he were interested in some watercolor painting that hung on the wall and turned to his therapist. "Huh?" he grunts, raising a brow.

"What exactly are you here for?" Dr. Boris lifts his pen, ready to scribble down notes at a moment's notice.

Chuck points to the woman next to him. "Blair demanded that I come"

Blair scoffs but doesn't say anything, part of their compromise was that she would sit in the session and be silent.

Dr. Boris does an excellent job of hiding his disappointment. "So there isn't anything that you would like to talk about?" When Chuck shakes his head, the therapist turns to Blair who nods and mouths something unintelligible. This gives him the idea to hint at different theories until he is able to get his patient to open up. "Well that last time we met, we were approaching the topic of your father. Would you like to discuss him?"

Chuck shrugs. "There isn't much to say"

One look at Blair and Dr. Boris know that this isn't true, there's plenty that the young Bass could say about Bart. "And why is that?" He questions.

Chuck shoots a wary look at Blair before mumbling, "Because it was impossible for us to be close"

Dr. Boris leans back, clasping his hands together, from his body language it's obvious that he's getting a little excited at the prospect of getting into Chuck's psyche. "Because you could never live up to his extremely high expectations?" He questions.

Chuck looks down at his expensive Italian leather shoes. "That, amongst other things. But mostly because of my sister"

The doctor pauses for a full second, completely caught off guard. "You have a sister" He looks through his chart, searching for anything that could explain how he missed that important detail. When he looks back up, Chuck seems annoyed.

"Yes" The only heir to the Bass Empire rolls his eyes. "We were twins"

Dr. Boris nods as though he finally understands even though he really doesn't, "How did this create the distance between you and Bart?"

Chuck cradles his head in his cupped hands. When he speaks his reply is muffled "Because she's dead and I'm not"

Blair reaches over to take his hand but he pulls out of her grasp. She frowns but instead of moving away, she sits closer to Chuck.

**…**

_Years ago, Chuck decided that he never wanted to remember Savvy at her darkest hour. Instead he chooses to remember the girl she once was, before life ruined her - beautiful, innocent and happy. However, right now he's unable to gloss over the gory details. There is just one particular memory that keeps standing out in his mind - the story of the pillowman. It was about a man made of pillows whose job was take suicide victims back to a previous point in their lives, before it all turned to shit, and make them die when they were children. For some odd reason, it was Savvy's favorite story. She would read it over and over again. Once Chuck asked her why. And she told him: "Because it's tragic" _

_Chuck purses his lips, trying to wrap his head around the concept. "I thought girls were supposed to like stories with happy endings"_

_"They do" Savvy comments, "But I'm not your average girl" She then gives a nonchalant shrug, her auburn curls bouncing. _

_"I still don't get it"_

_Savvy rolls her eyes. "Of course you don't" She gets up to sit directly in front of Chuck on the glass coffee table. She's not supposed to sit there but Bart is working late and their nanny went home for the night so she can get away with whatever she wants. "Real life is tragic" she says slowly. "That's what makes it such a great story. It tells the truth, there's no such thing as fairy tales or happy ending. Just death"_

_Chuck stares at her and suddenly he realizes that there is more the Savvy than meets the eye. She may smile constantly but there's something dark that lurks beneath the surface. He's tempted to dig deep to find out what it is._

**…**

"Charles" Dr. Boris calls, snapping the younger man out of his day dream.

Chuck blinks, trying to remember where he was. "What?" he mumbles. In the dark depths of his mind, he's wondering when the pillowman was going to come rescue him.

"You were talking about your sister's death and then you just stopped talking. What happened?"

Chuck pinches the bridge of his nose and he inhales a deep breath. "On the eve of my, I mean our," He speaks quickly, stumbling over his words. "Fifteenth birthday, I woke up in the middle of the night feeling as though something was wrong. When I went into the bathroom, there she was- soaking in a tub of her own blood"

Blair gasps and Chuck turns to look at her. "And now you know what I don't talk about her" He mumbles.

"You discovered her body?" Dr. Boris says quickly before Chuck can get distracted.

Chuck shakes his head. "No, she died the next day. She was still alive when I found her. My father took her to the hospital but wouldn't let them put her under psychiatric observation . The next night, she tried to kill herself again and jumped off the roof of my fathers building. Bart never let me forget that he wished that it had been me instead, just as I constantly reminded him that it was his fault that she died"

Chuck closes his eyes, blocking out the therapists office. There was no newspaper articles or funeral. No one ever mentioned Savvy again and all pictures of her vanished. It was almost as though he imagined her. But he couldn't have.

Because right now, while he was wasting his time talking to a therapist who would never understand him, Savvy was at his penthouse waiting for her darling brother to return.

**Author's Note: I know it's short and I'm really sorry about that. I've just been losing interest in this story and it's getting harder for me to write. Maybe a few reviews will give me a little encouragement. **


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